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Our Hero Academia: Chapter 52
Pushing Smoke Again, she was doing it again. Breathe, Akira Wareashi puffed her cheeks and let it all out, while her head arched down, giving her a look at her own legs. She was wearing her Hero Costume, complete with the helmet that had been redesigned just recently. Not that anyone was to know it, but, Akira had asked for a better breathing system which provided more oxygen whenever her body needed it, after all, that breathing problem suddenly escalated. Furthermore, in order to improve the agility and mobility of her limbs, Akira asked for an expansion on some of the suit's latex. It wasn't that tight anymore, but, the additional mass was done with a compressable material. Her heels clicked against the pavement, she did not know where Miranda Amastacia, her partner, was. However, even so, Akira walked and walked towards the entrance to their arena, as assigned by the teachers. She could do it, yes, she trained for it, she prepared for it, a smile filled her expression behind the helmet, though her pupils still trembled. Miranda was close by her in her new suit. It felt almost like a dream she was in. Somehow her nerves seemed to melt away as she watched everyone's matches and look up as much as she could on her opponent. His quirk shouldn't be a problem for Miranda and so, as long as she kept calm, she should have this. One thing she didn't expect, however, was Akira to be trembling, it was something she had saw herself doing. Miranda placed her glove on Akira, smiling softly. "We got each other, I don't need you worrying, if you worry you'll put the two of us in danger and I know you are strong, so, you have nothing to worry about, okay?" Miranda hadn't been the best at speeches that she was expected to come up with on the dial but she saw this as she best she could. Not waiting for Akira to respond, however, Miranda went on, "I left a bit of my equipment since it's still being made or wouldn't fit here, though it shouldn't make any difference to the match. I can counter Li Jie's quirk with my own, we just need to aim for the exit, okay?" this time she would wait for a respond, she had talked fast, maybe then nerves weren't fully gone, but the one thing she could and would do is lead Akira and her to victory, she swore to herself she would. "Worrying...?" So, Akira was worrying, she briefly took a look at her own hands, they didn't tremble. "Apologies, Amastacia-san!" She waved both hands at Miranda, "I did not mean to pass that feeling along. I mean... we are to face one of our respected teachers! As heroes, we will be focused, like you said!" Her hands tightened into fists, which bumped up and down. "Let's..." Akira breathed, "Let's do it, Amastacia-san!" She turned to look at what stood before the both of them. What stood before them was a building, higher than the ones that made up the fake city they fought in for the entrance exam. Very little windows but many pipes going in and out of the structure. Chimneys poked up from the top, spewing dark smoke that drifted high into the sky. The perfect playground for Li Jie, with many places to hide as well as an intricate system of vents and airways for him to smoke the students out. With the amount of pipes that entered and exited the building, it seemed as though there would be no safe haven for both girls to catch a breathe. "All right girls. Can we hurry this up please?" A voice spoke out through what seemed to be a megaphone. "I'll be inside if you need me..." Li Jie knew the building well, having used it many times before to practise and hone his quirk. This was the teacher's turf now and there was no way he was going to allow the both of them an easy time. It was obvious that Li Jie was not the type of hero to combat his targets face to face, but was capable to do so if need be. It was all a matter of how the students were planning to pass this exam. "Did you have anything you- you wanted to discuss?" Akira beamed at Miranda, gesturing for them to quickly walk into the extremely large building. Miranda nodded before walking in front of Akira. "Li Jie quirk is to do with smoke," she did a quick survey of the area and looked back at Akira again, "sadly, this won't be easy with how much room and places the smoke can travel through but it's lighter than me, so if we keep an eye out I can change its properties, or so that's what might be best," Miranda seemed in the zone, taking control. "We have to take this slowly and stick together, we need him in close-range for both of us to do anything." "T-That's a point," Akira nodded and followed close, though not a lot. She looked around as they went further into the building, "You are right. We ought to take down his defenses, then the both of us attack him directly-" She gulped briefly, glad that the sweat on her face couldn't be seen due to her helmet. Again, Akira adressed Miranda, "How, how do you want us to back up each other? In the case he reaches us with sneak attacks." She glanced around the room they were in, trying to take note of all the ducts and similars, though, her mind didn't register the exact number. Without warning, smoke erupted violently from the vents around them, quickly spewing inside the room and increasing the temperature. The dense smoke made quick work of filling up the room and obscuring both of the girl's visions. It's dense body was almost as if they had walked right into a solid thunderstorm. It was quick and deadly, and was something that people knew Li Jie for, his ability to quickly smoke out criminals from their hideout. The only thing they had to do was find out where Li Jie was hiding exactly, as the maze of rooms, corridors, and stairs would keep the two students occupied. "Amastacia-san!" Akira managed to utter out to her partner, before positioning herself by raising her right leg, while her left one sustained her body. Shortly after, through bending her knee, Akira delivered a swift jab at the air around them, her leg almost distorting as it blurred in a single movement. A second later, part of the smoke got itself pushed by Akira's pressure, giving room so that Miranda could properly breathe. Soon, however, the smoke would accumulate once again, ledding Akira to gasp, "Again!" Knee bent, leg ready, she shot it sideways again, prompting bits of wind to fly through the entire place. Miranda instantly started to feel the burn of smoke in her eyes and her throat gag for oxygen but thanks for Akira's quick thinking it didn't last for long. Though she wanted to stay by Akira's side she needed out this smoke and fast. Though Miranda could use her quirk the one thing she couldn't do was change smoke from being smoke, she could make it so it didn't blind them but the side effects to do with oxygen and eyes watering was not something she could change. She seemed to step away before she looked back at Akira. "Get out of the smoke as soon as you can, smoke isn't the only thing he can do," the explanation was bland and almost useless to Akira but at least Miranda could somewhat be ready for more than just the smoke. With one last look and a nod at Akira, Miranda dashed off, trying to get in front of the smoke. She had never felt so claustrophobic in her life, the smoke could easily spread and speed past her if she didn't watch her timing. Miranda couldn't help but curse herself for leaving Akira behind, she had failed as a leader in her books. "So... Your friend has left you. All alone. What a friend she is..." A voice whispered around Akira. "Doesn't particularly mean she's anymore safer than when she was with you." Smoke began to flood all around Akira and Miranda simultaneously, this time more heavier as well as thicker than before. The thing was that there was a certain scent to it that made it almost tempting to breathe in. Smoke began to spew from every direction, obscuring doorways and exits that existed on the level Akira and Miranda were in. "I know- Wait, where are you going?!" Akira swiftly interrupted herself due to Miranda's actions. Before she could further ask anything the smoke got thick again, Akira gritted her teeth and her eyes widened, maybe she shouldn't have stopped swinging so quick. She had to do something, maybe she should keep swinging, maybe she should follow Miranda. A step was the single thing she did. The voice that seemingly came from the smoke made her mouth close, her eyes tremble, and her body freeze. "Teacher..." No. She glanced around, the smoke wasn't really doing a lot on her, given her helmet. No. For one reason or another, that was not the voice that usually came out of her teacher's mouth. She had to do something, she had to, she had to... What did she have to do? Her heels clicked against the ground, "Get away!!" Akira's mouth went wide, whilst her right leg swung across the air, sending dust and smoke flying away. "GET AWAY!" She pushed forward as she swung her leg, hitting one pillar in the process and sending some of its debris scurrying like bullets. "Oof. Did I strike a nerve?". Li Jie lied back as he brought a bottle of water to his lips, greedily chugging the water down as to clear and soften his throat. "Should I apologise or something? Or does this mean I'm doing my part properly?" Miranda kept running and running hoping Akira followed suit but the buildings tight corridors and vents was causing problems. No matter how fast Miranda was running she couldn't out run the smoke that quickly covered her once again. Miranda didn't want to stop running, she felt like she would only allow Li Jie to get his win. Running was the easy part, the smoke was becoming more of a problem the more she walked. Though Miranda had forced herself to stop breathing through the mouth there was no way she would be able to keep a steady pace of running while also not breathing and the more she breathed in the more she wanted to breath in the smoke. There was one good thing she could safely say about this. Since smoke was weightless and it seemed to be one entity Miranda could easily activate her quirk and change the properties of the smoke. It was much harder than normal, maybe because this was a quirk that didn't want to be manipulated or because this entity of smoke was a lot larger than many things she had managed, but with a sigh she stopped the temptation to breath in. It did't, however, dispel the smoke or stop the stinging in her eyes. She had to keep moving, moving to find stairs or an exit. So with the help of guiding herself along places with her hands, Miranda kept going forward. "Huh. No screaming yet? Guess I'll have to up the quality..." Li Jie thought out loud to himself in his hiding spot before bringing himself and walking to the side. What laid on the wall of the small concrete room, surrounded with various pipe openings was a small metal briefcase with tape pressed onto the front. Written on the tape in big, bold permanent marker was "+". Nodding his head, Li Jie opened the case and pulled out a small packet containing a long 'cigarette', as well as an orange conventional lighter. Placing the cigarette in his mouth and breathing in, Li Jie quickly lit the end and enjoyed, his eyes lighting up and a smirk slowly forming on his face. Without stopping, Li Jie pulled the 'cigarette' from his mouth and blew into one of the pipes. The vents near Akira and Miranda began to spew smoke once again, but this time the smoke had a strange smell compared to before. This time, however, the scent was almost like expensive perfume that made it even more irresistible to the nose. The smoke wafted in gently, making it less dense to notice but the scent notable to be detected. Li Jie shook his head to concentrate on the mission, but the drug had seemed to want to work on Li Jie before taking on the students just yet. "Oh boy. I really... I really shouldn't be using... Lacolinium... But this is a legal amount... Right?" Li Jie sluggishly groaned before shooting a smirk. Even as she kicked, even as she moved, the smoke kept coming back and back, refilling the room within seconds. The voice had also stopped reaching for her, Akira stared to the left, then to the right, then to wherever else she didn't look before. Her head did just that, continously whipped around to check from where she would be attacked. Should she be staying still and search for the teacher? Should she run for Miranda? Should she wait? The pressure of the room was increasing, "HAH!" Akira slided her left leg vertically, cutting a path towards somewhere... a simple wall. Gritting her teeth, Akira cringed back, the smoke reformed, her helmet started to feel tighter. "Hah..." Akira breathed suddenly, looking around, "Miranda...?" She whispered at nowhere, the smoke filling the area to the point nothing was visible, even if it didn't get to her eyes. Miranda, now almost on the other side of the building, was on a mission. She was getting worried about Akira having not heard her footfalls behind her but she couldn't see in the smoke so for all she knew she was there. It also didn't help that she could hear only the slight hiss of the smoke as it escaped everywhere. It took Miranda a while but she stumbled forward as she found stairs. Carefully she climbed up, hoping not to fall. It took Miranda a while before she started noticing the smell, her mind had been swirling with the smoke already. When she did it was slightly too late. Though Miranda had made it up the stairs and onto the second floor, her body and mind felt so... light. Her persisting run slowed to a jog then to a calm walk. Her arms felt slightly heavy and part of her wanted to just sit down. She was... calm. It was an odd feeling for Miranda. Her mind seemed to crawl away from the danger and the panic of Li Jie to just walking towards the exit. Calm, light, almost happy. The pain it took to hold her breath melted away, she took big gulps at this point. Her eyes didn't ache, or if they did, she didn't know about it. Her body didn't feel warm, uncomfortable and sweaty. Everything felt nice. A small smile spread on Mirandas' lips as she shuffled forward. Li Jie went in for another breathe as he brought the Lacolinium cigarette to his lips, breathing in and lighting up the end. As the feint crackling soothed his ears, Li Jie slowly ripped the cigarette from his lips and blew into a vent. Sending the smoke back to the girls, Li Jie leaned back and fell softly on the floor as he enjoyed the buzz. Using a free hand, Li Jie reached for a bottle of water that sat next to him, giving him a chance to revitalise his body to continue using his quirk. "...Whoooooooooooa." As he brought the bottle to his mouth and begin drinking lavishly, he noticed that his tongue was beginning to feel numb. As he stuck his tongue out, from the bottom of his eyes he could see the green stains, only prompting him to smile and laugh. Vision, her vision was flickering, Akira breathed heavily. Another kick, not only smoke got pushed, but concrete as well, the pillars could be seen missing some of their structure. Due to that, part of the ceiling was cracked, bending downards with the lack of sustain. Her hands palmed the floor and part of her helmet cracked, the smoke's pressure even bigger. Her body rolled sideways, back against the ground, the coughs initiated but soon subsided, as if she didn't mind them. Water left her eyes, the smoke truly was too much. A hand went to cup her helmet, maybe she could hold some of the smoke from coming in. Akira's legs rose, her knees resting against her chest, while she just laid there. Miranda had started to get an scratchy throat and had been coughing quite a bit as she sluggishly walked on, still smirking. She had lost her purpose and had decided to find somewhere nice to sit and chill out but with the steel building it was becoming rather difficult. As she dragged her feet though she talked to herself through coughs. "Maybe when I have had my nap," she paused for too long, the coughing fit extending as she kept walking. Eventually she went on, "maybe I should like... say hi to Tali and Griselle and ask, ask them..." she paused again, this time stopping her walk. She had lost her train of thought and she giggled at herself. "Not like it matters," she told herself, coughing some more. Miranda felt dizzy and she could barely tell if she was even walking forward. She kept going though, each step taking longer than the other. "...Heh. Mimir is such a bone head..." Li Jie mumbled to himself, blowing the drug's smoke into the pipes once again. "Wonder how he's going to go with his exam. Probably not have as much fun as we are having here." Li Jie wanted to get up from the ground, but realised he couldn't without stumbling from side to side. His vision was becoming dizzy and sooner or later he would have to sit back down again to remain stable. His hearing however seemed to be a little better, hearing Miranda talk to herself more clearly. But then again, could also hear the destruction that Akira was causing downstairs. Li Jie didn't realise that this sort of thing would happen, having expected that both students would just sit down next to each other and giggle for half an hour straight. Swish. Swoosh. Swish. Swoosh. Miranda had gotten much lazier in the seconds as she dragged her feet along, humming and talking to her invisible friends. As she kept dragging her feet her lungs started to protest. After a process of hacking and coughing, moving a few steps, coughing and hacking, it had gotten to the stage Miranda couldn't do much more. Tripping up on her feet she fell flat on her face, giggling between the coughs. "I am such," a cough interrupted, "a mess," she kept laughing like she told the funniest joke on the planet and slowly she rolled over, reaching up. "How about we all go to the mall, all us girls," she rambled to the air, coughing and giggling endlessly. "We go to the mall, we buy all the clothes in the world. We forget about the whole stress of being heroes for a while. We just... chill," she smiled, her hand falling slowly as she both coughed and yawned. "Deary deary me, seems I am tired," another onslaught of the laughing-coughing syndrome. "If we go to the mall," she spoke barely above a whisper, her eyes fluttering close. "We should make sure Akira comes. She seems really lonely all the time and she seems to always be scared of something. If we take her to the mall, I am sure I can see her smile a little. It's been... quite some time since then," one last yawn escaped her lips before she rolled onto the left and curled into a ball. "I wanna make sure she has some friends is all," and with that, Miranda fell asleep on the floor, still muttering in her sleep about this mall plan. Cold, her skin shivered, even though the temperature hadn't dropped at all. Akira cuddled herself, hugging her knees even closer to her bust. Cracks stopped spreading throughout her helmet, as the smoke put in enough pressure already to get inside, fully finishing to affect her body. A cold liquid cascaded down her face, wetting the helmet and the floor beneath. It was okay, she was going to be okay. Everything was okay, her head shook slightly while tears continued to stream down. The ticking from within his jacket's pocket was becoming more noticeable, with his hearing heightened due to the drugs effects. Sluggishly reaching in with his free hand, Li Jie pulled out a small stop watch he was given to watch over for the assessment. It was a thirty minute timer, but Li Jie couldn't tell if it had been thirty minutes or not. Shrugging it off, Li Jie leaned back and looked up towards the ceiling, his smile becoming larger as he stared at the small cracks and indents of the concrete surrounding him.